| Summary: | Background: The <i>PCSK3</i> gene encodes for the protease enzyme Furin, which promotes proteolytic maturation of important regulators of the immune response, and also enhances the secretion of interferon-γ (IFN). Several studies have suggested its possible involvement in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases. Methods: We investigated the <i>PCSK3</i> gene expression level in peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from Sjögren’s Syndrome (SS) patients and healthy controls and we evaluated a possible correlation with <i>IFN-γ</i> gene expression. Moreover, we also explored the variability of two <i>PCSK3</i> genetic polymorphisms (rs4932178 and rs4702) to evaluate a possible association between these polymorphisms and the expression levels of this gene. Results: We observed, by RT-qPCR, that the <i>PCSK3</i> expression level was significantly higher in SS patients compared to the controls (<i>p</i> = 0.028), and we confirmed a positive correlation between <i>PCSK3</i> and <i>IFN-γ</i> expression levels (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Moreover, we reported that the variant homozygous genotype of rs4932178 SNP is associated with a higher expression of the <i>PCSK3</i> gene (<i>p</i> = 0.038) and with the SS susceptibility (<i>p</i> = 0.016). Conclusions: Our data suggest that Furin could play a role in SS development, also promoting IFN-γ secretion.
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